Method and arrangement for anchoring an object to a support structure

ABSTRACT

An anchoring member is inserted into an anchoring hole in a support structure and has transverse dimensions smaller than those of the anchoring hole, and is supported with clearance in such anchoring hole by means of a cap member of ring-shaped configuration which surrounds the anchoring member at the trailing end thereof and closes the open end of the clearance. The anchoring member is of a tubular configuration and is closed at its leading end, an aperture communicating the interior of the anchoring member with the clearance. A body of hardenable material is introduced into the clearance through the aperture and by means of a shielding arrangement accommodated in the interior of the tubular anchoring member and communicating with the aperture. At least a portion of the ring-shaped cap member is at least translucent so that the introduction of the hardenable material into the clearance can be monitored therethrough. A depression, preferably an annular groove, is visible through the translucent portion and has such dimensions that, due to its viscosity, the hardenable material will not be able to penetrate into the depression until after the pressure in the clearance has exceeded a value indicative of the completion of the clearance-filling process. A small-sized opening communicates the clearance with the exterior of the cap member and allows air to escape from the clearance during the clearance-filling operation, while preventing the hardenable material from escaping therethrough until the pressure of the hardenable material has reached a predetermined level.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application is a continuation-in-part application of our copendingpatent application Ser. No. 631,153 filed on Nov. 11, 1975.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

The present application relates to an arrangement for securing objectsto support structures, and more particularly to such an arrangementwhich is to be anchored in an anchoring hole of the support structure bybeing embedded in a body of hardenable cementing or other material.

In our copending patent application Ser. No. 631,153, we have discloseda method of anchoring objects to a support structure and variousarrangements which can be used in such a method. Basically, sucharrangements each incorporate a sleeve-shaped or tubular anchoringmember which has a closed, such as by squeezing, leading end and an opentrailing end having an internal thread for threadingly receiving a screwsecuring the object to the anchoring member and, via the same to thesupport structure. The anchoring member has such dimensions as to bereceivable in an anchoring hole with radial clearance therefrom, and aring-shaped cap member surrounds the trailing end portion of theanchoring member in the assembled condition, and has such dimensions asto center the anchoring member in the anchoring hole and to sealinglyclose the open end of the clearance existing between the inner surfaceof the anchoring hole and the outer surface of the anchoring member. Theanchoring element consisting of the anchoring member and of the capmember is provided with at least one aperture through which hardenablematerial can be introduced into the clearance existing in the anchoringhole after the introduction of the anchoring element thereinto, and theair present in the clearance prior to the commencement of theclearance-filling operation is allowed to escape from such clearanceduring the introduction of the hardenable material into such clearancethrough at least one small-sized opening also provided in the anchoringelement. When the clearance is filled with the hardenable material andsuch material hardens about the anchoring member, forming a rigid bodythereabout, the latter will securely anchor the anchoring element in thesupport structure.

In many applications, excellent results are obtained by using theabove-discussed arrangements and approach. More particularly, thesealing closing of the open end of the clearance by the cap member, andthe provision of the small-sized opening through which the air presentin the clearance is permitted to escape therefrom during theclearance-filling operation, render it possible to completely fill theclearance with the hardenable material, under most circumstances,without the formation of any air pockets or air inclusions. By variousexpedients, also discussed in our above-mentioned copending application,it is possible to so adapt the arrangement that it can be used not onlyin generally horizontal anchoring holes, but also in anchoring holeswhich are generally vertical and whose open end faces downwardly. Thesmall-sized opening, while permitting the air to escape, is so locatedthat it is not reached by the viscous hardenable material until theclearance-filling operation is virtually completed, and has such a sizethat the viscous hardenable material cannot flow therethrough due to itsviscosity and due to the surface tension.

As advantageous as these arrangements are, they still do not assure,under some circumstances, complete filling of the clearance, and moreparticularly, they do not offer any possibility of monitoring orsupervising the progress of the clearance-filling operation.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to improve thearrangements of the prior art.

More particularly, it is an object of the present invention to providean anchoring arrangement of the type here under consideration in whichit is possible to monitor the progress of the clearance-fillingoperation.

It is a concomitant object of the present invention to provide such ananchoring arrangement which enables the user thereof to determine whenthe clearance-filling operation is to be terminated upon completefilling of the clearance with the hardenable substance.

Yet another object of the present invention is to provide an arrangementwhich allows for such monitoring whether used in a substantiallyhorizontal, vertically downward, or overhead anchoring hole.

It is a still further object of the present invention to provide ananchoring arrangement which is capable of indicating the attainment of apredetermined pressure of the hardenable material in the clearance.

In pursuance of these objects and other which will become apparenthereafter, one feature of the present invention resides, in anarrangement for securing an object to a support structure having ananchoring hole, briefly stated, in a combination comprising an anchoringelement having one part of transverse dimensions smaller than, andanother part of transverse dimensions substantially corresponding to,those of the anchoring hole, the anchoring element being insertable intothe anchoring hole through an open end thereof so that the other part ofthe anchoring element supports the latter at the open end of theanchoring hole with clearance between the anchoring hole and the onepart of the anchoring element, the other part of the anchoring elementalso closing the open end of the above-mentioned clearance uponinsertion of the anchoring element thereinto. The combination of thepresent invention further comprises means for introducing a body ofhardenable material into the clearance for hardening therein about theone part of the anchoring element to thereby anchor the anchoringelement in the anchoring hole, and means for monitoring the degree offilling of the clearance by the hardenable material, including at leasta translucent portion of the other part of the anchoring element throughwhich the clearance and the body of hardenable material being formedtherein can be observed. Instead of being translucent, theabove-mentioned portion may be transparent.

In a currently preferred embodiment of the present invention, theabove-mentioned one part of the anchoring element is constituted by ananchoring member, and the other part of the anchoring member isconstituted by a ring-shaped cap member which surrounds a portion of theanchoring member upon assembly therewith. Not only a portion of, but theentire cap member may be of a translucent or transparent material.

In a currently preferred embodiment of the arrangement of the presentmaterial, the anchoring member is generally tubular and has a closedleading end and an open trailing end as viewed in the direction ofintroduction of the anchoring element into the anchoring hole. In thisembodiment, the above-mentioned introducing means may include at leastone aperture provided in the anchoring member and operative for passageof the hardenable material therethrough from the interior of theanchoring member into the clearance. Preferably, the introducing meansfurther includes shielding means which is insertable into the interiorof the anchoring member through the open trailing end thereof tocommunicate with the above-mentioned aperture, and operative forpreventing the hardenable material from filling the interior of theanchoring member around the shielding means. The anchoring member mayhave an internal thread at the trailing end thereof, the shielding meansthen preventing the hardenable material from penetrating toward and intothe thread.

In this embodiment, the aperture of the tubular anchoring member throughwhich the hardenable material is introduced into the clearance islocated close to the leading end of the anchoring member so that, undermost circumstances, particularly when the arrangement is used indownwardly directed or even horizontal anchoring hole, the clearance isfilled with the hardenable material beginning at the bottom thereof, theupper level of the body of hardenable material gradually progressingtoward the open end of the clearance and toward the cap member. Nomatter what the color of the hardenable material is (usually it will bequite dark), a change in color of the transparent or translucent portionof th cap member will be perceived by the observer of the cap member orof the transparent or translucent portion thereof when the hardenablematerial reaches the cap member and displaces the air which has beenpreviously present adjacent to the cap member in the interior of theclearance. Thus, the change in color perceivable through the transparentor translucent portion of the cap member will be an indication to theuser of the arrangement that the clearance is filled completely with thehardenable material. Such an indication is especially important when theanchoring element is to be anchored in a support structure of foraminousnature, that is a structure which either has large air inclusionstherein, or which has internal chambers such a found in building blocks.In such support structures, because of the presence of differently sizedair inclusions, air pockets or air chambers in the material of thesupport structure, the volume which is to be filled with the hardenablematerial, that is, the clearance and/or such internal inclusions,pockets or chambers which may communicate therewith, will vary from caseto case so that it is impossible for the user of the arrangement toestimate or to even feel the amount of the hardenable material to beintroduced and the time period for which such introduction is to beconducted. On the other hand, the provision of the transparent ortranslucent portion on the cap member, or the making of the cap membertransparent or translucent in its entirety, renders it possible toaccurately determine when the clearance and any other spacescommunicating therewith have been completely filled with the hardenablesubstance so that the clearance-filling operation can be thenterminated.

According to a further concept of the present invention, the ring-shapedcap member may have a depression of such dimensions that the hardenablematerial, due to its viscosity can penetrate into the depression onlywhen the pressure in the clearance reaches a predetermined level. Underthese circumstances, the transparent or translucent portion of the capmember will partly bound the depression so as to render it possible tosee whether or not the depression has been already filled with thehardenable material.

This embodiment of the present invention is particularly advantageous inview of the fact that the pressure at which the hardenable material isto be introduced into the clearance in order to fill the same depends,first of all, on the diameter and the depth of the anchoring hole, butalso to a large extent, on the viscosity of the hardenable material. Thedimensions of the depression must be so selected as to permit thepenetration of the hardenable material into the depression only when thedesired pressure has been achieved in the clearance. So, for instance,when the clearance is rather narrow in the radial direction, and ratherlong in the axial direction of the anchoring member, the dimensions ofthe depression must be quite small so that the pressure needed forforcing the hardenable material into the depression will be rather high.Contrary thereto, when the diameter of the anchoring hole is quitelarge, and so is also the radial dimension of the clearance, and theaxial length of the clearance is quite small, that is, when asubstantially lower pressure must be achieved in the clearance beforefilling the same with the hardenable material, the dimensions of thedepression will be commensurately larger. In view of the fact that thefull injection pressure is achieved in the clearance only after the fullfilling of the clearance with the hardenable material, the penetrationof the hardenable material into the depression will not only give anindication of achievement of the desired pressure in the clearance, butalso will give a visual indication of the completion of the filling ofthe clearance.

This monitoring of the degree of filling of the clearance with thehardenable material by means of detecting the pressure prevailing in theclearance is especially suited for use of the arrangement in overheadanchoring holes, in view of the fact that, under these circumstances,the clearance will start filling at the cap member, despite theintroduction of the hardenable material at the leading end of theanchoring member, due to the gravity flow of the hardenable materialtoward the cap member so that, in those circumstances, the transparencyor translucency of at least a portion of the ring-shaped cap member byitself is insufficient for indicating the degree of filling of theclearance with the hardenable material. However, even under thesecircumstances, the viscous hardenable material will not be able topenetrate into the properly dimensioned depression, inasmuch as a riseof the pressure of the hardenable material is necessary for forcing thehardenable material into the depression. Therefore, thispressure-dependent determination of the degree of filling of theclearance with the hardenable material is particularly reliable when theanchoring arrangement is to be anchored in an overhead anchoring hole.

According to a further concept of the present invention it has beenfound to be very advantageous to configurate the depression as anannular groove which surrounds the trailing end of the anchoring memberin a coaxial fashion, being provided in the ring-shaped cap member. Thisconfiguration not only substantially simplifies the manufacture of thecap member, but also allows for the use of the cap member in any angularposition relative to the longitudinal axis of the anchoring element.

In addition to, or instead of, the provision of the depression, theopening which permits the escape of air from the clearance to theexterior of the cap member during the filling of the clearance with thehardenable material may be so dimensioned that it only prevents theescape of hardenable substance therethrough when the pressure of thehardenable substance is below a predetermined threshold value. When thisthreshold value is exceeded, the hardenable material will appear at theouter end of the opening, which will also give an indication of theachievement of the desired pressure in the clearance, and thus of thefact of complete filling of the clearance with the hardenable substance.

The novel features which are considered as characteristic for theinvention are set forth in particular in the appended claims. Theinvention itself, however, both as to its construction and its method ofoperation, together with additional objects and advantages thereof, willbe best understood from the following description of specificembodiments when read in connection with the accompanying drawing.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING

The sole FIGURE of the drawing illustrates the present invention asembodied in an exemplary anchoring arrangement.

DETAILED DISCUSSION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT

Referring now to the drawing in detail, it may be seen that itillustrates the present invention as used in one embodiment discussed inmore detail in our above-mentioned copending patent application Ser. No.631,153. While, for the sake of simplicity, the present invention willbe discussed only as used in this exemplary embodiment, it is to beunderstood that the same concept can also be used in the otherembodiments described and illustrated in the above-mentioned copendingapplication.

As seen in the drawing, the anchoring arrangement of the presentinvention includes a tubular anchoring element or dowel 1, the leadingend of which is indicated at 2. The leading end 2 is closed, such as bysqueezing, and the anchoring element 1 is also shown to include severalhook-shaped bends which improve the security with which the anchoringmember 1 is held in an anchoring hole 16.

The trailing end of the anchoring member 1, as viewed in the directionof introduction of the anchoring member 1 into the anchoring hole 16,has a reduced diameter, and an internal thread 3 is provided at suchtrailing end of the anchoring member 1 into which a screw is threaded tosecure an object to the anchoring member 1 and thus to the supportstructure in which the anchoring hole 16 is provided. The reduceddiameter trailing end portion is designated with the reference numeral4, and a ring-shaped cap member 6 is mounted on and surrounds thetrailing end portion 4 and serves to close the open end of the clearancepresent between the outer surface of the anchoring member 1 and theinner surface of the support structure which bounds the anchoring hole16, when the anchoring element 1, 6 is introduced into the anchoringhole 16. The outer diameter of the ring-shaped cap member 6 is soadjusted to the diameter of the anchoring hole 16 that it is fittinglyreceivable in the open end of the anchoring hole 16. The ring-shaped capmember 6 is further provided with a sealing portion 6a which assuressealing of the above-mentioned clearance even when the open end of theanchoring hole 16 has been damaged during the drilling of the anchoringhole 16 or subsequently thereto.

Before introducing hardenable material into the clearance between theanchoring member 1 and the surface bounding the anchoring hole 16, asleeve 41 is introduced into the interior 40 of the tubular anchoringmember 1, the leading end of the sleeve 41 sealingly abutting the bottomof the interior 40 of the tubular anchoring member 1. The anchoringmember 1 has an aperture 22 close to its leading end and communicatingwith the sleeve 41 when the latter is introduced into the interior 40 ofthe anchoring member 1 so that, under these circumstances, an injectionapparatus 10 can inject hardenable material into the sleeve 41 throughits trailing end, the hardenable material flowing through the sleeve 41,through the aperture 22, of the anchoring member 1, and into theclearance around the anchoring member 1. After the termination of theinjecting operation, and after the hardening of the hardenable material,the sleeve 41 is removed from the interior 40 of the tubular anchoringmember 1, together with the hardenable material which has hardenedwithin the sleever 41, so that the inner thread 3 is free for threadingof a connecting screw thereinto.

In view of the fact that the aperture 22 is arranged at the leading endof the tubular anchoring member 1, the clearance defined in theanchoring hole 16 by the anchoring member 1 will be filled substantiallyfrom the bottom of the anchoring hole 16 toward the ring-shaped capmember 6. The ring-shaped cap member 6, or at least a part of it, iseither translucent or transparent, so that, when the hardenable materialreaches the cap member 6, a change in color will be perceived throughthe transparent or translucent portion of the ring-shaped cap member 6.Such change in color will indicate to the user of the arrangement thecompletion of the filling of the clearance in the anchoring hole 16.

The transparency of the cap member 6 can be achieved, on the one hand,by making the entire cap member 6 of a transparent or translucentmaterial. On the other hand, at least the translucency can be achievedby forming the ring-shaped cap member 6 with a depression 50 which maybe configurated as an annular groove, the depression 50 extending fromthe inner surface of the cap member 6 to just short of the externalsurface of the cap member 6. Because of the relatively small thicknessof the material of the cap member 6, at the bottom of the depression 50,there is achieved at least a partial transparency or translucency of thecap member 6.

The dimensions of the depression 50 can be so selected in accordancewith well-known principles, in dependence on the viscosity of thehardenable material, that certain pressure must prevail in the clearancebefore the hardenable material can penetrate into the depression 50.When this expedient is accomplished, it is avoided thereby that thehardenable material could flow into the depression 50 prior to completefilling of the clearance, such as due to gravity, and thus give falseindication of the non-existent completion of the filling of theclearance. This is particularly important for use of the anchoringelement 1, 6 in overhead anchoring holes 50, where the clearance startsfilling with the hardenable material from the cap member 6.

The cap member 6 also has an opening 51 through which air escapes fromthe clearance as it is displaced by the hardenable material during theintroduction of the latter into the clearance. When the hardenablematerial has a very low viscosity, the indication of the achievement ofthe predetermined pressure in the clearance can also be obtained byusing this opening 51, the cross-section of the venting opening 51 beingthen so selected in dependence on the pressure which is to prevail inthe clearance upon the termination of the injection of the hardenablematerial thereinto, that the hardenable material will pass through theventing opening 51, but only after the pressure in the clearance aroundthe anchoring member 1 has reached a predetermined level. Thus, theappearance of the low-viscosity hardenable material at the external endof the venting opening 51 will give an indication of the completion ofthe filling of the clearance defined in the anchoring hole 16 by theanchoring member 1 with the hardenable substance.

It will be understood that each of the elements described above, or twoor more together, may also find a useful application in other types ofconstructions differing from the types described above.

While the invention has been illustrated and described as embodied in anarrangement for securing objects to a support structure, it is notintended to be limited to the details shown, since various modificationsand structural changes may be made without departing in any way from thespirit of the present invention.

Without further analysis, the foregoing will so fully reveal the gist ofthe present invention that others can, by applying curent knowledge,readily adapt it for various applications, without omitting featuresthat, from the standpoint of prior art, fairly constitute essentialcharacteristics of the generic or specific aspects of this invention.

What is claimed as new and desired to be protected by Letters Patent isset forth in the appended claims:
 1. An arrangement for securing anobject to a support structure having an anchoring hole, comprising ananchoring element having one part of transverse dimensions smaller than,and another part of transverse dimensions substantially corresponding tothose of the anchoring hole, said anchoring element being insertableinto the anchoring hole through an open end thereof so that said otherpart supports said anchoring element at the open end of the anchoringhole with clearance between the latter and said one part and closes theopen end of said clearance upon insertion; means for introducing a bodyof hardenable material into said clearance for hardening therein aboutsaid one part of said anchoring element to thereby anchor the latter inthe anchoring hole; and means for monitoring the degree of filling ofsaid clearance by the hardenable material, including at least atranslucent portion of said other part of said anchoring element throughwhich said clearance and said body can be observed.
 2. An arrangement asdefined in claim 1, wherein said portion is transparent.
 3. Anarrangement as defined in claim 1, wherein said other part of saidanchoring element has a depression of such dimensions that thehardenable material can penetrate thereinto only when the pressure insaid clearance reaches a predetermined level; and wherein said portionof said other part of said anchoring member at least partly bounds saiddepression.
 4. An arrangement as defined in claim 3, wherein saiddepression is configurated as an annular groove in said other partaround said one part of said anchoring element.
 5. An arrangement asdefined in claim 1, wherein said other part of said anchoring elementhas at least one opening for escape of air from said clearance duringthe introduction of said body of hardenable material into saidclearance; and wherein said opening is so dimensioned that thehardenable material can escape from said clearance through said openingand appear at the exterior of said other part of said anchoring elementonly after the pressure of the hardenable material in said clearance hasreached a predetermined level.
 6. An arrangement as defined in claim 1,wherein said one part is constituted by an anchoring member, and saidother part by a ring-shaped cap member surrounding a portion of saidanchoring member upon assembly therewith.
 7. An arrangement as definedin claim 6, wherein said cap member is entirely of an at leasttranslucent material.
 8. An arrangement as defined in claim 6, whereinsaid anchoring member is generally tubular and has a closed leading, andan open trailing end as viewed in the direction of introduction of saidanchoring element into the anchoring hole; and wherein said introducingmeans includes at least one aperture in said anchoring member forpassage of the hardenable material therethrough from the interior ofsaid anchoring member into said clearance.
 9. An arrangement as definedin claim 8, wherein said introducing means further includes shieldingmeans insertable into the interior of said anchoring member through saidopen trailing end thereof to communicate with said aperture andoperative for preventing the hardenable material from filling theinterior of said anchoring member around said shielding means.
 10. Anarrangement as defined in claim 9, wherein said anchoring member has aninternal thread at said trailing end thereof; and wherein said shieldingmeans prevents the hardenable material from penetrating toward and intosaid thread.